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Cost plan preparation

Order-of-cost estimates and elemental cost plans that keep the design on budget — prepared remotely and updated as the design develops.

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Office campus with landscaped courtyards, aerial view

Overview

Most budget problems start long before tender: a design grows, a specification changes, and nobody updates the numbers. A cost plan sets a budget for every element of the building and shows the effect of each design decision while it can still be changed.

We prepare order-of-cost estimates at feasibility stage and elemental cost plans as the design develops, using the structure of NRM 1 — the RICS rules for order of cost estimating and cost planning. Each update shows what changed and why.

Deliverables

  1. 01

    Order-of-cost estimates

    Early estimates from floor areas, functional units or outline drawings to test feasibility.

  2. 02

    Elemental cost plans

    Budgets broken down by element — substructure, frame, envelope, finishes, services and external works.

  3. 03

    Cost plan updates

    Revised cost plans at each design stage, with a clear reconciliation to the previous version.

  4. 04

    Allowances made visible

    Preliminaries, overheads and profit, risk and inflation shown separately, never hidden in rates.

  5. 05

    Option studies

    Side-by-side costs of design or specification options to support decisions.

  6. 06

    Path to the BoQ

    When the design is ready, the cost plan becomes the check against which the tender BoQ is priced.

A cost plan is only as good as its rates. We agree the pricing basis with you at the start: your own cost data, recent tender returns, or current market rates for the project location. Every assumption is written down, so the plan can be reviewed and challenged.

Developers use cost plans to secure finance and control the brief. Architects use them to keep designs within budget. Cost consultants use our support to produce cost plans faster during busy periods.

  • Property developers and clients
  • Architects and design teams
  • Cost consultancy firms

How we work

  1. 01

    Send your drawings

    Share PDF, DWG or Revit files with the specifications, and tell us the measurement standard and BoQ format you need.

  2. 02

    Scope, timeline and quote

    We confirm exactly what is included, the deliverables and a delivery date before any work starts.

  3. 03

    Measure and check

    Graduate quantity surveyors measure the work, then a second surveyor checks quantities and descriptions against the drawings.

  4. 04

    Deliver and support

    You receive editable Excel and PDF files, take-off sheets and marked-up drawings, and we answer queries and revisions.

Standards: NRM 01 · NRM 02 · SMM 7 · QSMM · POMI · CESMM 3 · CESMM 4 · SLS 573

FAQ

What is the difference between a cost estimate and a cost plan?

An order-of-cost estimate gives an early total, usually from areas or functional units. A cost plan breaks the budget into elements and is updated as the design develops, so it can be used to control cost.

What do you need to prepare a cost plan?

The latest drawings or sketches, an outline specification, the project location and the target budget if one exists. We confirm the pricing basis with you before starting.

Which standard do you follow?

We structure cost plans in line with NRM 1, or with the format your organisation already uses.

Can you also prepare the tender BoQ?

Yes. Once the design is complete we prepare the BoQ and check the priced result against the cost plan.

Related

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Share your drawings and we will come back with a scope, timeline and quote.

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